Golf glove with airflow vents

ABSTRACT

A golf glove comprising a front section and a back section comprising of leather, cotton or synthetic material, substantially covering the front and back of the hand, a vent  104  covered with a mesh  206  positioned between the thumb and the index finger, and an open vent  306  in the knuckle region of the back section resulting in exposing the knuckles.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to gloves used in sports and more particularly to golf gloves which may be made of natural or synthetic leather. Further, the invention relates to golf gloves made of natural or synthetic leather having an oval vent in the cloth exposing the knuckles when worn & an oval shaped vent with a mesh covering between the thumb and the index finger.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Generally, the gloves used in sports particularly the golf gloves are made of natural or synthetic leather are widely used. However, such a golf glove have a drawback that the hands tend to slip on a golf dub while playing golf. As result it is hard for a golf player to swing a golf club smoothly and accurately.

A number of ideas have been proposed in order to prevent such a slip occurring between the hands and a golf club. Such ideas are all the same. Namely, they try to prevent such a slip by increasing a friction between the surface of the golf glove and the golf club.

During my research, it has been found that not only does the grip weaken due to lack of friction but also because of air trapped inside the golf glove in the palm area when worn. After the glove is worn, there may be some air remaining in the palm area of the glove, which creates an air barrier between the palm of the player and the inside layer of the golf glove. This remaining air in the glove may not be able to give the player a tight grip on the golf club. By creating a vacuum like effect, the material of the glove and the palm of the player may have a secure tight grip further enhancing the grip on the golf club.

Additionally, it has also been observed that while griping a golf club, some Stretching pressure & force may be created on the knuckles of the hand. Since the glove is stretched when worn and a lot of the stretch force comes onto the knuckles of the hand. It creates an uneasy pressure on the knuckles. Additionally, this pressure created does not help in any way to increase the grip on the golf club & may negatively impact the grip pressure on the golf club. By having an open vent in the knuckles section of the golf glove, the pressure on the knuckles is eased & the player can grip the golf club better.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,172 teaches golf glove comprising a front section comprising a substantially inelastic material substantially covering the front of a hand fully inserted into the glove, a back section comprising a substantially inelastic material substantially covering the back of the hand, and the knuckles of the index finger of the hand, and a knuckle section comprising a substantially elastic material covering a top knuckle of at least one of the other fingers of the hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,188 teaches the sports glove comprising tightening and tension means comprising a slightly extensible or inextensible tightening strap attached at a first end on the dorsal metacarpal region of said glove and extending over a first length buckle forming one piece with said glove and arranged in an offset position in proximity to the region forming the edge area of the glove, said tightening strap extending from said intermediate buckle over a second length along a second axis (Y, Y′) and ending in a second end movably attached, at least in part, to said dorsal metacarpal region (10) or to the wrist area of said glove, wherein said first axis (X, X′) and said second axis (Y, Y′) are angularly offset by a positive angle (α).

U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,979 teaches a glove having elastic members extending from the back portion past and over at least one knuckle of each finger, each elastic member being associated with a finger covering portion to facilitate stretching of the finger covering portion at least at each knuckle when the finger is bent, and having a width that is less than that of the finger. Said gloves aimed to provide sufficient flexibility in the fingers to perform various sports movements, such as swinging a racquet, bat, or golf club, while maintaining a tight fit in the fingers.

Conventional gloves typically do not enable a golf player to grip the golf club in an efficient manner minimizing any shipping or sliding of the grip without compromising on comfort. Thus, there is a need for a golf glove that provides improved comfort without compromising the gripping qualities of the glove. The present invention provides a new glove structure which overcomes these disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to obviate the drawbacks of the prior art the present invention aims to provide a golf glove which enables a golf player to grip the golf club in an efficient manner minimizing any slipping or sliding of the grip without compromising on comfort.

To achieve the above objective, a golf glove according to the present invention comprises a golf glove comprising a front section and a back section comprising of leather, cotton or synthetic material, substantially covering the front and back of the hand, a vent 104 covered with a mesh 206 positioned between the thumb and the index finger, and an open vent 308 in the knuckle region of the back section resulting in exposing the knuckles.

The knuckle regions covers the top knuckle of the index, middle finger, ring finger and little finger of the hand.

The golf glove may have a vent of pre-determined shape and size with a mesh cowering between the thumb and the index finger. This mesh may be stitched onto the material of the glove or attached to the vent by the use of adhesives etc. The mesh may be made of connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible or ductile materials. This mesh may allow outward flow of air from the inside of the glove when gripped. The vent may allow the air to flow out from the glove which may create a vacuum type effect inside the glove producing a better grip between the palm and the inside of the golf glove, This increased grip may help in reducing slipping or sliding of the golf glove from the golf club on hitting a golf shot.

The oval shaped vent on the knuckles section of the glove is of pre-determined shape and exposes at least two knuckles. The vent is optionally covered with a mesh. Said vent is positioned in a way that it eases the pressure off the knuckles of the hand when the glove is worn. When a glove is worn, a stretching force is created in the area of the knuckles as that is the area which stretches a lot when the hand is clenched in order to grip the golf dub. The open vent in the material of the glove allows for the pressure to be eased off the knuckles when the golf club is gripped allowing for a more efficient grip on the golf club. The energy being wasted by the hand to fight this stretching force may now be used in gripping the golf club. This may also be additionally helpful for people suffering from pain in the joints of the knuckles, as it may ease the pressure off the joints in the knuckles.

The advantages are illustrated with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and further objects, features and advantages of the present subject matter will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals are used to represent like elements.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter, and are therefore, not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the subject matter may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a view of the golf glove with the position of the vent with the mesh covering positioned between the thumb and the index finger.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the vent with the mesh in the glove.

FIG. 3 is a view of the vent on the knuckles section of the golf glove.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a clenched hand similar to when a golf club is gripped.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following presents a detailed description of various embodiments of the present subject matter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments of the present subject matter are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present subject matter is not limited to these embodiments which are only provided to explain more dearly the present subject matter to a person skilled in the art of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings, like reference numerals are used to indicate like components.

The specification may refer to “an”, “one”, “different” or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations. This does not necessarily imply that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

As used hereto, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes”, “comprises”, “including” and/or “comprising” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “attached” or “connected” or “coupled” or “mounted” to another element, it can be directly attached or connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations and arrangements of one or more of the associated listed items.

The figures depict a simplified structure only showing some elements and functional entities, all being logical units whose implementation may differ from what is shown.

FIG. 1 shows the golf glove with the vent mesh positioned between the thumb and index finger. This view is the side view of the glove so we can see the vent position on the golf glove. The vent 104 is positioned between the thumb and index finger so that any remaining air in the palm area of the golf glove can exit from this vent creating a vacuum like effect. For illustration purposes only, the vent 104 is shown in an oval shape. The vent 104 may have an oval, round, square or any other kind of shape and not limited to any kind of particular shape. The position of the vent is clearly defined to be between the thumb and index finger but there may be no restrictions on the kind of shape of the vent. The vent may be stitched onto the fabric of the golf glove. The vent outer walls may also have enhanced stitching to help the vent retain its shape when worn. The vent 104 may be covered with a mesh made of flexible or ductile materials. The vent may help the flow of air through the mesh from the golf glove.

The vent 104 may allow the flow of air from the golf glove allowing any remaining air in the palm section of the golf glove to flow out of the glove when the golf club is gripped, creating a vacuum like effect inside the golf glove. It may be very important for the player to grip the golf club correctly in order to avoid slipping of any section of the golf glove from golf club. Any area of the golf glove which has air bubbles or air pockets inside the glove when the golf club is gripped, may result in reduced friction between the hand and the golf glove and hence reduce the gripping power on the golf club. In order for enhanced grip, the golf glove and inside of the palm should act as one body to grip the golf club. The palm area of the human hand is shaped in a certain way that it is not flat but has many contours in the shape of the palm, making it further difficult to have a glove that fits exactly right. This invention aims at reading towards the goal of giving a better fit into the golf glove by creating a vacuum type effect. With a natural vacuum like fit, the fabric of the golf glove may fit into the contours of the palm better.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the vent of 104 from FIG. 1. 204 is an exploded view of the vent 104 from FIG 1. 206 is a view of the mesh covering the vent. The mesh may allow the flow of air through it when the glove is worn and the club is gripped. The mesh 206 of the vent may be made of connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible or ductile materials. Therefore, making the mesh breathable & allow the easy flow of air in and out of the glove. The mesh may have any design & the stands of fiber or other material may be bonded together in any particular fashion and not restricted to any particular design. The strands of the mesh may be bonded vertically, horizontally or in random order to form a mesh that may allow airflow through it. The mesh 206 may be stitched or attached to the vent by the use of adhesives etc. and not restricted to any particular mode of attachment.

FIG. 3 is a view of the golf glove with the open vent in the knuckles section of the golf glove. FIG 3 is a top view or front view of the golf glove which shows the knuckles section of the glove. The inside palm cannot be seen in this figure unlike FIG. 1 which shows the palm section & the inside section of the golf glove. 308 shows the open vent in the knuckles section of the golf glove. The open vent 308 may be of any shape of a rectangle, oval, symmetrical or asymmetrical etc. covering the knuckles section of the golf glove. The oval shape of the vent 303 is only for illustration purpose and the shape of the open vent need not be confined to this particular shape.

The vent 308 may ease the pressure off the knuckles when the golf club is gripped, when a golf club is gripped wearing a glove, a stretching force is created on the knuckles section as that is the area which needs to stretch substantially when a golf club is gripped. The open vent 308 may allow the player to grip the golf club with less pressure on the knuckles. This decreased pressure may help the player to focus the energy on gripping the golf club property. Additionally, this decreased pressure may also be helpful for players with joint pains of the knuckles. Preferably, the size of the open vent should be as such that all or some portion of the player's knuckles may be visible. The size of the open vent may change with the size of the glove, as different size versions of the glove may be required in order to cater to different hand sizes of players. However, even though the size of the open vent 308 may change with the different size versions of the glove, the knuckles of the player would always be visible from the open vent.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the golf glove which mimics the action when the golf club is gripped. 404 shows the outward flow of air from the open vent 204 of FIG. 2. Some or most of the remaining air may be dispensed from the golf glove when the glove is clenched or golf club is gripped. When the golf club is gripped or the hand is clenched for the same, the area inside the golf glove is reduced which may allow the trapped air to flow out from this open vent 404. FIG. 4 is a side view of the golf glove hence the vent shown in 404 is for illustration purpose of the airflow from the vent 404.

When the golf club is gripped, 408 shows the open vent where the knuckles of the player are visible. As 408 may be able to illustrate, the knuckles section is easily flexed by having an open vent 408 allowing the knuckles to be freely flexed through the open vent, whereby reduced pressure may be applied on the knuckles of the player. The open vent 408 may allow a better flow of energy of the hand in order to grip the golf club better.

The present inventions aims at giving the golf player maximum grip on the golf club with the help of the golf glove. The Invention aims at increasing grip along with providing comfort to the player.

The presented invention may also help the player to effectively grip the golf club without exerting pressure on the knuckles section and allowing the energy to be used to productively grip the golf club. The invention also aims at making the golf glove so as to say i.e. second skin for the player. The glove fit should be such that the skin and glove material feel as one body and help the player to grip the club more effectively. Further, the open vent would help a wet glove to dry quicker when not worn.

The present inventions additionally hopes to help player who may have joint pains in the knuckles by reducing the stretching pressure on the joints of the knuckles. All the benefits of this present invention are aimed at improving the grip on the golf club but still retaining the comfort for the player as the golf glove is worn for a fairly large duration during a golf game. 

1. A golf glove comprising; a front section and a back section comprising a fabric including leather, cotton or synthetic material, said front section and said back section being configured to substantially cover a front and back of a person's hand; a first vent covered with a mesh being positioned between a thumb and an index finger; a second vent in a knuckle region of the back section being configured to expose knuckles of the person's hand. 2-4. (canceled)
 5. The golf glove as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first vent is stitched to the fabric.
 6. The golf glove as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mesh is made of connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible or ductile materials.
 7. The golf glove claimed as in claim 1, wherein the mesh is attached to the first vent by adhesives.
 8. The golf glove claimed as in claim 1, wherein the second vent is covered with a mesh comprising connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible or ductile materials. 